Meaningful conversations in the sunset years: Developing suicide preventive communication tools for productive responses to older helpline callers

BackgroundThis project will produce much needed knowledge on protective factors regarding suicidality in older age.

While communication in helplines has been identified as suicide-preventive there is little knowledge about how such interactions work in practice.

In order to design effective support there is a need for tangible knowledge about the consequences specific responses may have in relation to different problems.

This is important given the expanding role of helplines in Sweden.Research problem and specific questionsThe project produces knowledge about helpline responses to older people with mental health problems, including suicidality.

The project investigates 1) What is important in suicide-preventive responses according to organizational representatives of helplines, 2) Productive responses to older callers’ problems, such as anxiety, loneliness, meaninglessness, hopelessness and acute crisis, 3) The relevance of old age in helpline interactions, and 4) How preconceptions about good responses relate to actual conversations.Data and methodThe project examines two data sources.

The first consists of panel discussions with representatives for organizations that encounter older people in helplines (Suicide Line, Ageing Line, Fellow on Call and Priest on Call). These are recorded, transcribed and analyzed thematically. The second data source consists of recorded helpline calls from older people.

They are examined using conversation analysis and related to the results from the panel discussions.Relevance and utilizationThe project addresses the need for knowledge on how older people with ill mental health understand their situation and how helplines respond to problems, as a provider of support or as gatekeepers to other support organizations.

The project gives applicable knowledge that is implemented in the organizations to facilitate mental health promotion in old age.

The results are also used to develop anonymized resources for communication training, enabling large-scale use and long-term benefits.Plan for project realizationThe three-year project is conducted by researchers with experience of helpline research, collaboration with organizations, and communication training.

It contains four work packages: 1) Panel discussions with organizational representatives; 2) Analysis of recorded helpline calls; 3) Research-based workshops with practitioners; 4) Development of resources for communication training based on the results.